In July 2004, employers took 2,094 mass layoff actions, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, according to data from the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. Each action involved at least 50 persons from a single establishment, and the number of workers involved totaled 253,929. (See table 1.) Both the number of events and initial claims were higher than a year ago, with the number of mass layoff events and the number of associated initial claims higher than any July since 2001. However, July 2004 contained 5 weeks for possible mass layoffs, compared with 4 weeks in each July of the prior 4 years. From January through July 2004, the total number of events, at 10,208, and of initial claims, at 1,049,541, were lower than in January- July 2003 (11,947 and 1,183,024, respectively).

AND MUCH MORE...including TABLES....

_____________________________ This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

(The following is courtesy of the Centre for Industrial Relations, University of Toronto).

Weekly Work Report for the Week of August 30, 2004

These highlights of the week's HR/IR news are prepared by the Librarians at the Centre for Industrial Relations for our subscribers, alumni, faculty and students, and are intended for their individual use only. Please visit the <http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/cir/library/wwreport/weeklyworkreport.html> CIR website for terms of use and information about organizational subscriptions. This message is composed in MS Outlook Express and contains hyperlinks that require an HTML-enabled email program.

The WWR is protected by Canadian copyright law and should not be reproduced or forwarded without permission. For inquiries or comments, please contact the Editor, <mailto:elizabeth.perry@utoronto.ca>.

---------- THE NEXT ISSUE OF WEEKLY WORK REPORT WILL BE SENT ON WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 8, TO ALLOW FOR THE LABOUR DAY HOLIDAY. ----------

ROSALIE ABELLA AND LOUISE CHARRON APPOINTED TO CANADA'S SUPREME COURT: The Honourable Louise V. Charron and the Honourable Rosalie Silberman Abella were appointed as Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada on August 30. Madam Justice Abella brings impressive experience in the areas of employment and human rights, having chaired the Ontario Labour Relations Board and served as a member of the Ontario Human Rights Commission and the Ontario Public Service Labour Relations Tribunal. She is perhaps best known in her role as sole Commissioner of the 1984 Royal Commission on Equality in Employment, from which she is credited with originating the term "employment equity". In 2004, she was awarded the Walter S. Tarnopolsky Award for Human Rights. Their appointments followed a new process whereby the candidates were nominated by the federal Minister of Justice and the nominations reviewed and confirmed by an ad hoc committee of Members of Parliament and legal experts.

---------- FEMINIZATION OF LABOUR UNIONS IN CANADA: A study released by Statistics Canada on August 31 presents statistics about union membership in Canada between 1977 and 2003 and identifies 3 major trends: feminization of the membership; growth of public sector unions, and the decline of international unions. Union membership has grown by 43% from 2.8 million in 1977 to just over 4 million in 2003, but since this growth has not kept pace with employment growth, the unionization rate in Canada has actually declined from 32.6% in 1977 to between 30% and 31% over most of the past decade. According to the analysis, "the biggest and most profound transformation in membership occurred in the mix of men and women." Between 1977 and 2003, the percentage of union members who are women has grown from 12% to 48% .

---------- MERGER OF IWA AND USWA RATIFIED: On August 27, the tentative results from a national ratification vote by members of the Industrial Wood and Allied Workers union indicated approval of the merger agreement with the United Steelworkers of America. According to the IWA press release, the merged union will be the largest private sector union in Canada, with approximately 250,000 members. Effective September 1, 2004, the IWA will exist as the IWA Council, affiliated to the USWA.

---------- BACK-TO- SCHOOL MAY BRING WORK-TO-RULE: Teachers and support staff in Ontario stand poised to begin work-to-rule campaigns as Labour Day approaches. In Toronto, the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 4400 will announce details of a work-to-rule campaign by custodians, educational assistants and clerical staff at 2 p.m. on August 31. With contracts expiring on August 31, Ontario's teachers are also dissatisfied. The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario has rejected a 2% wage increase and is seeking an increase to 200 minutes of preparation time per week. The Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation President Rhonda Kimberley-Young is quoted in the Toronto Star as rejecting a 2% wage increase and a 3-year contract term, arguing that the uncertainty of school board funding makes such a lengthy term impossible.

In Alberta, a 10 year contract duration was under negotiation. In return for the labour stability of a 10-year agreement, the province had offered to assume the cost of the unfunded liability in the teachers' pension plan. Talks between the Alberta Teachers Association and the Alberta School Boards Association broke off earlier in the summer, but teachers in Edmonton, Calgary, and Sturgeon County have reached tentative agreements through local bargaining. Ratification results will not be known until after Labour Day.

---------- ARBITRATION AWARDS NOVA SCOTIA HEALTH CARE WORKERS 15.96% INCREASE: On August 18th, an arbitration board awarded the health care workers in the Capital Health District Authority in Nova Scotia a maximum compounded wage increase of 15.96 % over 3 years. The increase comprises a 2.9 % economic increase in each of 3 years and a 2.1 % catch-up increase in each year for those in job classifications that do not rank first in wages in Atlantic Canada. The board stated that the CHDA operates the leading medical facilities in Atlantic Canada and employees should be compensated accordingly. The employees are represented by the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union (NSGEU).

---------- FEDERAL MEDIATOR BRINGS PARTIES TOGETHER IN ALIANT DISPUTE : For the first time since mid-July, representatives from Aliant and its unions met on August 30th under the guidance of federally appointed mediator Elizabeth MacPherson. The strike at the telecommunications company began on April 23 and has involved 4,300 telephone operators, technicians and clerical staff represented by the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union (CEP) in New Brunswick, PEI and Newfoundland and the Atlantic Communication and Technical Workers Union in Nova Scotia.

---------- GAP'S CANDOUR AN EXAMPLE OF CORPORATE COURAGE: The theme of the September 2004 issue of Fast Company is courage, with examples from the personal and corporate world. One of the case studies, that of Gap Inc., hails a new corporate willingness to make fuller disclosure of working conditions.

---------- NEW DISPUTE RESOLUTION PROCEDURES FOR THE U.K.: In October 2004 the new disciplinary and grievance procedures set out in the Employment Act 2002 will come into effect in the United Kingdom. The legislation is intended to improve communication in the workplace and reduce litigation over employment issues by requiring minimum dispute resolution procedures in all workplaces. It is hoped that as well as improving employees' rights to access formal dispute resolution procedures, the legislation will reduce the recourse to employment tribunals by encouraging the resolution of disputes in the workplace.

---------- 121 St. George St. Toronto Canada M5S 2E8 <http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/cir>_____________________________ This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

[Thanks to Steven Cohen at ResourceShelf.com for the tip]_____________________________ This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

(Alexandria, Va., August 31, 2004)The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations will collaborate to create the Leading Indicator of National Employment (LINE). LINE will be a current month indicator released the fourth Tuesday of each month.

We are pleased to work with Rutgers on what we view as a valuable addition to current employment indicators,said Susan R. Meisinger, SPHR, president and CEO of SHRM. HR professionals are positioned to accurately indicate employment in their organizations and can collectively predict employment and economic trends overall. We expect LINE to be a valuable source for economists, financial analysts, and informed business leaders throughout the country.

The rate of job creation is among the most important measures of the strength of our economy,said Steven M. Director, Ph.D., a Rutgers faculty member and the principal investigator for the LINE project. The SHRM/Rutgers LINE will provide decision and policy makers in the public and private sectors with timely information available from no other source. It will remind the nation, on a monthly basis, of the key role HR professionals play in the functioning of the U.S. economy.

SHRM has more than 185,000 members and represents HR professionals throughout the U.S. and abroad. HR professionals have a unique position of knowing the current and projected employment conditions at their organizations. They are also the first to recognize and affect fluctuations in compensation packages offered to new hires and projected hiring in the months ahead.

The Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations is a leading center for scholarly and applied research on Human Resource Management issues. The principal investigator for LINE from Rutgers teaches courses in financial analysis and labor economics.

SHRM and Rutgers will release the first LINE report on November 23, 2004.

In the initial launch, LINE will release data from the manufacturing sector since that sector tends to be the most cyclically sensitive and often acts as a leading indicator of change in the overall economy.

_____________________________ This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

GENEVA (ILO News) - The vast majority of the global workforce today lives in a world marked by economic uncertainty and insecurity over the future, says a new study to be published by the International Labour Office (ILO) on 1 September 2004.

The study, entitled "Economic Security for a Better World" attempts for the first time to measure social and economic security of individuals as well as economies in some 90 countries representing over 85 per cent of the world's population.

Among the elements of the study are the impact of globalization and employment policies - including outsourcing - on individuals as well as states, an analysis of the needs and aspirations of individuals in the world of work and whether people are happy or unhappy with their jobs, the impact of poverty and development on human security, and the extent of economic and social risk to which people are being increasingly exposed in their societies.

The report also contains a measure of Economic Security for the 90 countries surveyed in terms of labour market, skills, work and income security as well as employment protection and their access to representation.

_____________________________ This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

The total number of bankruptcies filed in federal courts declined slightly in the 12-month period ending June 30, 2004, the first time since 2000 that bankruptcies have declined in the 12-month period ending June 30. The total number of bankruptcy cases filed in this 12-month period totaled 1,635,725, down 0.9 percent from June 30, 2003, when filings were 1,650,279. The data were released today by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Bankruptcy filings remain well above the one million mark, a record first set in the 12-month period ending June 30, 1996. Non-business filings totaled 1,599,986, down 0.8 from the 1,613,097 cases filed during the 12-month period ending June 30, 2003. In the 12-month period ending June 30, 2004, businessfilings dropped to 35,739, down 3.9 percent from 37,182.

AND MUCH MORE...including TABLES...._____________________________ This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

Abstract: This paper examines the effect of employment protection regulation on gross job flows in a sample of developed and developing countries. By implementing a differences-in-differences test we lessen the potentially severe endogeneity and omitted variable problems associated with cross-country regressions. This test is based on the hypothesis that job security regulations are more binding in some sectors of economic activity than in others, depending on sector-specific characteristics such as the variance of demand or technological shocks. Unlike most of the existing literature, our analysis indicates that more stringent job security regulations slow down gross job flows, and this tendency is more pronounced in sectors that require higher labor flexibility. These effects occur within the sample of developed and developing countries and are very large in magnitude. Moreover, these effects are robust to changes in regulatory measures, measurement of sector flexibility requirements, control variables and samples._____________________________ This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

Abstract: Over the last 20 years, Mexico redefined the role of the state in its economy through an ambitious program to liberalize trade, promote efficiency and reduce the size and scope of the state-owned sector. In Mexico, privatization led to a significant improvement in firm performance, as profitability increased 24 percentage points and converged to levels similar to those of private firms. From this increase, at most 5 percent can be attributed to higher prices and 31 percent to transfers from workers, with the remaining 64 percent representing productivity gains. There is evidence that privatization provides other social benefits, as greater access to services, which usually follows privatization, leads to welfare gains for the poorest consumers that outweigh any increase in prices. Moreover, an often-overlooked aspect of privatization is its fiscal impact, whereby the proceeds from the sale are augmented by reduced subsidies and increased taxes and can help pay off debt or finance social spending. The Mexican privatization program can provide a valuable guide to privatization dos and donts: First, the privatization process must be carefully designed and run in a transparent way. Special requirements such as bans on foreign direct investment or cash-only payments lead to substantial price discounts for firms sold, while simplicity breeds competition and leads to higher prices. A transparent program can also help quell the tendency of politicians to favor their friends by tweaking the rules of the game. Second, restructuring firms prior to privatization is counterproductive in raising net sale prices and should be avoided. Governments spend substantial resources on politically motivated investment or efficiency programs that are not valued by bidders and which can rarely be justified on the social ground on which they are sold. Additionally, restructuring programs lengthen the privatization process considerably and lower prices for firms sold in the case of Mexico, each month of delay reduced the sale price by 2.2 percent. Finally, this paper argues that it is essential to carefully deregulate and re-regulate privatized firms to ensure that they behave appropriately as well as to provide a corporate governance framework to ensure firms are able to finance their operations without relying on the Government for help._____________________________ This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

Abstract: This paper presents theory and evidence on the determinants of the size of the informal sector. We propose a simple theoretical model in which the informal sectors size is negatively related to institutional quality and positively related to income inequality. These predictions are then empirically validated using different proxies of the size of the informal sector, income inequality, and institutional quality. The results are shown to be robust with respect to a variety of econometric specifications._____________________________ This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

Abstract: Pensions have become one of the key issues on the industrial relations agenda across Europe. Many national governments have recently reformed their public pensions systems, often in consultation with the social partners, though in some cases in the face of major trade union opposition. Governments have also been promoting occupational pension provision, which has become an increasingly important issue in collective bargaining. This EIRO comparative study examines the industrial relations aspects of recent pensions developments in 18 countries, focusing mainly on occupational pensions, an area where the social partners often play a significant or even dominant role.

_____________________________ This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

Real gross domestic product -- the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States -- increased at an annual rate of 2.8 percent in the second quarter of 2004, according to preliminary estimates released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the first quarter, real GDP increased 4.5 percent.

The GDP estimates released today are based on more complete source data than were available for the advance estimates issued last month. In the advance estimates, the increase in real GDP was 3.0 percent (see "Revisions" on page 3).

The major contributors to the increase in real GDP in the second quarter were personal consumption expenditures (PCE), equipment and software, residential fixed investment, private inventory investment, and government spending. Imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, increased.

The deceleration in real GDP growth in the second quarter primarily reflected decelerations in PCE and in private inventory investment and an acceleration in imports that were partly offset by accelerations in residential fixed investment and in equipment and software and an upturn in nonresidential structures.

Motor vehicle output subtracted 0.76 percentage point from the second-quarter change in real GDP after contributing 0.30 percentage point to the first-quarter change.

The price index for gross domestic purchases, which measures prices paid by U.S. residents, increased 3.5 percent in the second quarter, the same as the advance estimate; this index increased 3.4 percent in the first quarter. Excluding food and energy prices, the price index for gross domestic purchases increased 2.5 percent in the second quarter, the same increase as in the first.

AND MUCH MORE...including TABLES...._____________________________ This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

AND MUCH MORE...including TABLES.... _____________________________ This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

_____________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

First Comprehensive National Survey on the Draft Raises Question: What if They Gave a Draft and Nobody Came?

Majority of Draft Eligible Adults Say They Will Seek Deferment or Refuse to Serve * Unprecedented Number of Parents Dont Support Sending Their Child to Serve * Uneasiness over War in Iraq and Overextended Military Lead to Escalating Concern about the Draft * Majority believe U.S. is One World Event Away from Draft

AND MUCH MORE.....

[Thanks to Resource Shelf's Docuticker for the tip] _____________________________ This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

BLS recently converted the Employer Costs for Employee Compensation (ECEC) series to new industrial and occupational classification systems. Some of the resulting new series are comparable to the old ones, while others are not.

_____________________________ This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics' Web site for kids provides introductory career information for students in Grades 4-8. Most of the material on the site has been adapted from the Bureau's Occupational Outlook Handbook a career guidance publication for adults and upper-level high school students that describes the job duties, working conditions, training requirements, earnings levels, and employment prospects of hundreds of occupations.

On the kids' site, wording and labor market concepts have been simplified and some statistical detail has been eliminated. In addition, the occupations on the site are categorized according to interests and hobbies common among students. The twelve categories and their corresponding occupations are shown at the end of this Teacher's Guide. To help students continue their career exploration, each occupational description on the kids' site links to related information in the Handbook. The Bureau's Web site for kids is updated every 2 years with each new edition of the Occupational Outlook Handbook.

_____________________________ This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.